Sea Spider confirmation?

[stass]

Okay, new guy here. Found TONS of info here in setting up my 29g reef tank. Been checking in for answers for the last 5 months or so. Cheers!

I call it "The Grand Experiment". Homemade concrete rock (garf.org as a guide), with a couple live rocks to seed. Plenum filter just recently disconnected from the undergravel draw, and a home-made surface skimmer. A couple hermits, a couple snails, and a very happy scooter blenny. Good corraline bloom all over. One or two fish pending, but I'm keeping simple for now... (ie, making it up as I go.)

So I saved this critter from my home-made surface skimmer, and I'm thinking I should have let him perish. He was drifting on the current for a bit before getting sucked into the filter and I thought for sure a house spider took a swim. On closer inspection I was baffled. Not a star... it has 8 legs, and what looks like a sectioned exoskeleton. Kinda translucent white, about 1/8 of an inch with stubby legs. (almost like a tick, really.)

After searching high and low on the internet, I'm fairly certain this is a sea spider that hitched along with some of my rock. Can anyone give me a second opinion? The photo is taken through a magnifying glass, best I could do.



Also, confirmation, sea spiders are BAD, yes? Gonna munch on my coral eventually? Or is this the kind that just eats pods and "bugs"? (In which case, have at it, I've got tons.)

Thanks much!

Stass

[Fly Guy]

It doesnt look like any sea spider i have ever seen but i have only seen 2 in person. The ones i have seen in person as well as the ones i just did a quick google search on all have much more slender bodies. But the 8 legs definitely sounds like a spider and i definitely couldnt say it WASNT one.........

the one you took a picture of has a FAT body but so do some of the common housespiders.

[dobejazz]

Welcome to TRT ! Good luck with the ID I haven't a clue

[ChrisPrusha]

When I think of sea spiders, I think of the creatures in these pics:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pycnogonids.htm

There are many different types, though (Fenner says 1200 or so). As to what it eats...it depends on the species of sea spider.

Sorry I couldn't be more help here. I would just keep an eye on him...I certainly think he is cool!

[stass]

Thanks for the links. Spent hours perusing wetwebmedia.

Still not 100% sure, the body is rather large, more tick like in appearance.

Guess I'll wait and see.

Stass

[Loverotties]

looks like a sponge!

[Ms. K]

Any possibility of it being crab larvae? As a child, I used to get tiny clearish crabs in my swimsuit when I swam in FL in the summers. (No crabs comments, wise guys)

[stass]

I've never seen a crab larvae, hope not to see one in my suit, that's for sure!